Women in Science Day 2011

Written by Peggy Ni – YSP volunteer

On November 2^nd, 2011, YSP and the St. Louis chapter of the Association for Women in Science hosted the 5^th annual Women in Science Day. This one-day event brings high school girls from the St. Louis Public School District to the Washington University Danforth and Medical School campuses. On this day, the students attend panel discussions to hear from medical school students and scientists in different stages of their careers about why they followed the career paths they are currently on, how they got to where they are right now, and what to expect in medical school or graduate school. Additionally, a series of activities were planned for the students to choose and participate in including demonstrations in chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, ecology, evolution, forensics, genetics, neuroscience, physics and tours of the anesthesiology simulator, the neuroimaging lab, and the microbiology lab.

The panel sessions presented an incredibly unique opportunity for the students to learn about careers in medicine or research directly from the people in these fields. In the Med School 101 Panel that I observed, a group of 4 medical students representing the range of different options one could pursue in this career path (for instance, one panelist was doing a research year, another was applying for residency positions), introduced themselves and answered questions. Some of the issues the high school students were very interested in and asked about included whether it would be a good idea to take time off between college and medical school, what the hardest part of medical school was, and what an MD/PhD program is. In turn, the panelists gave great advice to the students, suggesting that getting a job in the years between college and medical school would be a great way to experience real life after roughly 16 years of being a student. Additionally, one panelist talked about her experiences shadowing people to see what being in medicine is like and explained that doing this after college would be beneficial for knowing whether to even pursue medical school. If the girls interested in medicine were hoping to escape taking tests in their futures, they were disappointed as the panelists agreed that exams were probably the hardest part about medical school. Another difficult aspect that was brought up that I never thought about is figuring out what to do after medical school and which area to specialize in. Luckily, these girls have the rest of high school and plenty of time and life experiences before needing to make that decision!

Likewise, the Career Panel invited women in science from diverse specialties and different stages in their lives. For instance, the panel had experience and could offer words of wisdom in physical therapy to nursing to market research. Additionally, we got to hear from people in established jobs versus someone still at school. What I thought was a helpful part of the session was when the panelists talked about the details that high school students could relate to – such as what they liked and disliked about their jobs, the hours of work that were expected, and even general life advice (make good friends who will study with you and push you yet support you). All in all, Women in Science Day was a successful event that offered a glimpse of what science would be like for high school girls contemplating their futures after graduation.